TITLE: Making a minimal wallet
DATE: 2018-07-10
AUTHOR: John L. Godlee
====================================================================
I have been looking for a long long time for a better alternative
to the bulky leather or canvas wallets that are mostly available
for men. I've found lots of examples online, the most notable one
being the N-Wallet by Elephant Wallet, but I couldn't bring myself
to buy one, because it's frivolous.
[N-Wallet by Elephant Wallet]:
https://elephantwallet.com/collections/n-wallet/products/n-wallet-al
uminium
Finally I spent enough time at my Mum and Dad's house to have
access to lots of scrap materials and a pretty good workshop, so I
set about trying to make my own version.
The template I drew can be downloaded here as a .dxf, a .layout, a
skp, and printed as an A4 .pdf, which should preserve the size so
long as there are no borders on the print. Each piece should be 90
mm (W) x 58 mm (H).
[.dxf](
https://johngodlee.xyz/files/wallet/wallet_template.dxf)
[.layout](
https://johngodlee.xyz/files/wallet/wallet_template.layout
)
[.skp](
https://johngodlee.xyz/files/wallet/wallet_template.skp)
[A4 .pdf](
https://johngodlee.xyz/files/wallet/wallet_template.pdf)
I used a piece of corrugated steel that had previously been used
for a barn roof. I used a hacksaw to cut the pieces to approximate
size, usign the template as a guide, then used a bench grinder to
shape the fine detail. To smooth everything off I used a file and
then finally sandpaper.
For the elastic band I used a piece of trouser elastic from the
sewing box, which I superglued together. But eventually I might
switch this to a thicker piece, or I might even buy one of the
stylised bands from Elephant Wallet, as they only cost a couple of
dollars and look pretty nice.
[stylised bands from Elephant Wallet]:
https://elephantwallet.com/collections/accessories/products/addition
al-elastic-band-n-wallet-wood-metal-carbon-fiber
This is the finished product:
